In the autumn of 2008, as Presidential hopefuls sparred over whether we had entered a recession or not and well before the onset of the most serious global crisis since the 1930′s, trend forecaster Gerald Celente advised his Trends Journal subscribers to prepare for the worst and plan for the best. “It will be,” warned Celente, “like nothing we’ve ever seen in our lifetime.”

The aware and prepared … those understanding just how out of control society would become, and those who had acquired the skills for survival would stand the best chance of navigating the chaos safely.

But Americans were not prepared. Not by a long shot

Very few had the foresight to predict that the economic system and social fabric of our nation would be threatened with upheaval and disarray. But some, whether through independent education or through intuition, deduced that there was a real possibility of a system shock so significant that life as we know it could be on the verge of a major paradigm shift – perhaps even a complete collapse of our economy and resource infrastructure.

With none of us ever having experienced (or even imagined) such a possibility before, many turned to guidance from experts in their fields – people like Gerald Celente or Marc ‘Dr. Doom’ Faber, who had an uncanny ability to see developing trends, and authors like survival expert James Rawles who wrote the popular economic collapse and survival cult classic Patriots and William Forstchen who penned One Second After, a frighteningly realistic look at what life without the grid might look like. First it was thousands, then tens of thousands of concerned Americans who began learning the essentials of survival by learning from each other with resources offered at web destinations like the American Preppers Network, Doctor Prepper, Survival Mom, Off Grid Survival and Ready Nutrition.

Those who chose to insulate themselves against coming disaster were often vilified or dismissed as lunatics by friends and family alike. And while many chose to ignore the trend which had become quite apparent, those who had the willingness to consider a different reality than had been painted by the powers that be just kept on preppin’.

As global malaise continued and the people began to lose confidence in political platitudes and corporatist solutions, the movement towards preparedness, survival and self reliance grew. After having seen what took place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, many came to the conclusion that if the worst were to happen there would be no government to help, no 9-1-1 to call, and no emergency management agency to distribute food or water.

Today, at the cusp of possibly the most trying times in human history, more Americans than ever before are preparing for the possibility of disaster.

As many as three million Americans now fall into the category dubbed ‘preppers’ – people who are making detailed plans for the end of the world as we know it.

The preppers are an ever-growing group of survivalists who take extreme measures to prepare for a major catastrophic event.

…

More than 300,000 people a month visit the movement’s website, survivalblog.com, which catalogues how people are preparing for the worst.

The website has been set up by James Rawles, a former US Army intelligence officer, who is one of the movement’s leading figures.

Speaking to The Times, he said: ‘Should the worst happen, it’s become apparent that the Government can’t provide for everybody. And now that realisation is becoming more widespread.‘

…

‘People invest so much money in life insurance,’ Mr Ralston told National Geographic. ‘This is life assurance.’

He is like some of the people featured on National Geographic’s new show Doomsday Preppers, which chronicles a new prepper each week, delving into their conceptions of the end and what they’re doing to prepare for it.

‘It’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle,’ Gloria Haswell told National Geographic. She and her husband spend 50 hours a week getting ready for a climate shift in the poles.

…

‘These are not just a handful of people living in the mountains,’ National Geographic Channel’s executive vice president of programming Michael Cascio told the Wall Street Journal. ‘They’re everywhere.’

…

The Journal notes that Nat Geo has begun appealing to a growing subculture that has seen the past disasters – from last year’s tsunami and earthquake in Japan to riots to economic uncertainty – and have wanted to prepare the best they can.

‘The last few years have probably exacerbated the doomsday fear,’ Mr Cascio told the Journal. ‘The world is changing.’

This week the National Geographic series Doomsday Preppers debuted to an audience of four million, a testament to the fact that preparing for disasters – regardless of the kind – is a growing trend, and one that’s popular even among those that have been affectionately dubbed the sheeple. No doubt some of those watching the show, who never considered the possibility of far-from equilibrium events, will take to preparing right away.

Most seasoned preppers will agree that those first few weeks and months of preparedness are the most stressful, with emotions being described by newbies as anxiety and panic. For those just getting started, you should feel better knowing that it’s better late than never.

What you may be experiencing today isn’t panic. It’s a sense of urgency, and that’s a positive motivator that can, with focus, drive you to quickly and effectively achieve your goals.

Panic is what we’ll see from those remaining 99% of Americans who have failed to take measures to protect themselves from the coming devastation.

(*Note: The preparedness books and websites mentioned in this article are only a handful of fantastic destinations you can visit to read articles and guides, join communities, and download resources. Check out the Web Destinations at SHTFplan.com and The Prepper Website for an extensive list of excellent resources.)

The APN Guest Author account is the profile used for posting contributed articles by authors who write for the APN less than a few times per year. Authors who post more frequently are given a permanent account under their own username. To write for the APN as a guest author simply email us at GuestAuthor@AmericanPreppersNetwork.com

Subscribe

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.

Privacy guaranteed. We never share your info.

8 Comments on "Doomsday Report: THREE MILLION PREPPERS IN AMERICA Are Getting Ready For The End of the World As We Know It"

The 99% that aren’t preparing would that be who the OWS protesters keep claiming they represent? I have always been a organized person.. and since we never had much I was always someone who stocked up on things when they were on sale.. I also even when I lived in the city loved having a garden .. now however since we finally got out of the city and have more room have leaned WHEN to plant things.. etc.. I have expanded that to learning to can.. strange as it sounds sometimes I feel like I have been doing this all my life.. each year I try to expand my knowledge of what it takes to do more with less.. something I always had to do anyway .. might be why it’s easier for people like me to do whatever preparing that needs to be done… my two grown sons make lite of it but one of my son’s is smart enough to decide he wants to take his two boys deer hunting and my daughter is ALL on board.. she LOVES the canned food.. she won’t even eat store bought PASTA sauce anymore and is making her own baby food.. depending less on what comes from a store and more on what she can make.. (and I can can..lol) .. and if things get better than worse we still have great pride and knowledge in knowing we can if we have to.. and teaching the next generation the same..

I work in the Emergency field and I have always had my eyes and ears open to society and the economy. I have kept records of dollar prices on food for the last 2 years. Food has increased 16%-30% in 18 months. And product boxes have gotten slimmer. Canned food has only 3/4 amount in them. Bacon prices stayed the same but the quantity hasn’t. Use to have 18 slices, not has 12. The slices are thinner also. They aren’t fooling any of us saying the economy is fine, the economy is strong. My husband and I started May of last year. Started with a small garden, then chickens. Turkeys and a cow came this year. We started an orchard last year and added more trees this year. The extra organic food supplements the livestock. I learned to can and milk a cow and make cheese. We also started water collecting from all th barns/coops, etc. My adult daughter came home to live and my adult son is now on board an aware there is something wrong. We started collecting 7 years worth of every vegetable seed you can imagine. Vacuumed sealed and stored in cool place. They can be viable this way for up to 10 years.I also extreme coupon now, only stocking up on none perishable items. My husband and I will start a new garden 3 times the size of the first one next week. Prepare…prepare…prepare. Government will not be there for you. Armed family members will be.

I do realise what you believe and also think something will go wrong. But forever in american history the Gov. has kept its pepole in fear. If it wasn’t comunism or nukeular bombs, it was something else. Because a scared puplic will do whatever the Gov wants them to do, and it seems now they want us to prep for somekind of massive event. Most families don’t have jobs or are living paycheck to paycheck. Thats me every penny I take away from today hurts. I believe that whatever happens, the conditions afterward will be so terrible and I don’t want to live like that.
I believe if the 3 million preppers focused on fixing country insted of hiding we may just fix the problems insted of preparing and hoping for the best. 3 million can do a lot together but this preping stuff just seperates us and will make it easier for them to concore us.

I don’t understand how 3 million Americans can find the money to prep and save, this stuff is expensive. I live paycheck to paycheck. If I put away it takes away from what I have today, which isn’t much. So I sapose only the upper middle class and upperclass are allowed to survive and the lower middle and poorer classes are the 99% panic stricken sheeple. I feel much better knowing that the upperclass care about themselves and thier families and are preping to keep the rich, rich and shoot the poor if they try to survive. This is a bad economy, Sheeple don’t have jobs, nevermind saving to put food away for a maybe future, we are trying to feed our families today.
I think the perpers who have the funds should get together and prep to help everyone they can , maybe buy some land and offer a little hope to the unfortunate. Its not that I live my life spending every penny because there is no future. I know of at least 100 combat vets who live paycheck to paycheck, when our country needed us we did what needed be, now we are considered sheeple, thanks for all your help.

I’ve been contacted to create an ad for a company that builds shelters for people looking for a safe and secure retreat that is both private and economical in the event an emergency situation should arise and alternate, safe shelter for someone and their family is needed. These retreats can be built in an existing home, barn or other structure or can be created from scratch. They can be underground, within a mountain or cave or wherever the client prefers. We are interested in placing an ad on your site. Please let me know the fee and how to send you the credit card information to pay for the ad. I can send you a copy of the ad for your review and approval. Thank you for your assistance.

I dont believe prepping is as new as most think,i remember my grandparents having a pantry full of fresh canned foods,they lived through the great depression,my grandpa would tell me stories,when we ate we ate everything on our plate,i still do that to this day,i live paycheck to paycheck and i try to do what i can,i buy canned foods on sale,go to flea markets,yard sales you can find good deals on items needed,it doesnt have to be top of the line items,i bought a little all steel hatchet for two dollars at a flea market,just an example of prepping on the cheap,the things we may need we need anyway in a lot of instances,big lots has some good buys on all kinds of items,i dont have a lot but i add a little at a time so its building up and i sleep better knowing im at least doing something,im still fairly healthy got a good job doesnt pay a fortune but i get by ,been getting by all my life so i just feel ok with where im at,never had money so i dont know anyother way,i couldnt tell anything happened in 08,thats how poor i am so i figure just getting by is normal,im not scared a bit ,but i will say something has to give,it would take 30,111 years to pay off national debt at one dollar a second so as i say something has got to give,i dont understand how we got where we are as a nation .

APN Corner

Betony has some health benefits that you should be aware of. Betony is a forgot practice. It’s herbal medicine has been used for years to treat anxiety, stress, depression and more. It does have a mild uterine stimulate so pregnant women should not use it. It is known to be helpful in treating sinusitis and […]

After entering in your email, you’ll become a free member of the APN community and will receive ebooks, event listings and webinars in our weekly newsletter. Don’t worry, we hate spam too! You’ll only receive relevant information and can unsubscribe at any time. Our Privacy Policy